England Cricket / Andrew Hughes / 16 December 2008 / 1 Comments

With the flawless technique of Ian Bell, resilience of Collingwood, power of Flintoff and outrageous talent of KP, the England midddle-order should be firing on all cylinders, but it's not. Andrew Hughes analyses the problems and possible solutions.

Bowlers destroy, batsmen create. A successful batting line-up tackles the construction of an innings like a crew of expert builders erecting a house. The openers do the initial work, clearing the ground and laying the foundations. But it is numbers three, four, five and six who raise the walls, secure the roof and add some decorative flourishes.

And England has been blessed with some of the world's finest in those positions. The Golden Age of cricket was so-named because of the artistry of Ranjitsinjhi and C.B.Fry, the raw power of Gilbert Jessop, the dash of Frank Woolley and the classical bat work of the versatile Archie Maclaren and the upright Tom Hayward.

Other generations have been nearly as fortunate. Imagine being a selector in the mid 1950s. After writing down the names Hutton and Edrich, you could follow them with May, Cowdrey, Compton, Graveney and Bailey; a leisurely brandy and a good night's sleep. And we should probably mention the 1986 Ashes-retaining vintage of Gatting, Lamb, Gower and Botham, a fortifying blend of style and punchy aggression.

Our current crop of middle order batsmen looks good, at least on paper. Coaches have proclaimed Ian Bell to be the finest technician of his generation and he has now ascended to the coveted number three position. Kevin Pietersen is one of the most exciting batsmen in the world, whose very name on the teamsheet is the cause of trepidation amongst opposition bowlers. Paul Collingwood is the solid, reliable anchor and Andrew Flintoff is a number six with a penchant for big hitting.

And yet, for some reason, this England middle order is not working. They simply don't dominate the bowling in the way that their apparent ability suggests that they should and this has been the case for a long time. And it has not gone unnoticed. There was a lot of talk this summer about the cosiness of the England set-up, with some batsmen apparently un-droppable. This criticism died down with the resignation of Michael Vaughan, but it hasn't gone away. Selectors under pressure may decide they've given this middle order long enough to prove itself.

Up until Sunday, I would have put Paul Collingwood at the top of the 'to drop' list. But his century in Chennai was another triumph of the will to rank alongside his career sustaining ton at Edgbaston. It wasn't pretty and no doubt many of those who witnessed it would smile at David Lloyd's assessment of the Durham man's style. Lloyd quipped that if Collingwood was batting outside your house, you'd draw the curtains. Harsh but fair. Still, given his popularity in the dressing room, it is inconceivable that he'd be dropped now.

Andrew Flintoff's plight with the bat has been sad to watch. He has regressed to the flat-footed swishing that characterised his early Test appearances. If he doesn't improve, he will have to drop down the order, changing the balance of the team entirely. But this is a nettle that selectors will not be keen to grasp, since it means reverting to a four man bowling attack.

The man most likely to feel the edge of the selectors' axe is Ian Bell. Having acquired the unhelpful reputation of being unable to score runs in adversity, he currently seems unable to score runs in any circumstances. The flowing cover drives have dried up and he cuts a tense, timid figure at the crease. A spell away from the spotlight might help him rediscover his form. Either Owais Shah or Ravi Bopara could replace him for the West Indies tour. Shah has served a very long apprenticeship and Bopara has the makings of an exciting number three.

Bell will probably have one more chance, as I'd be surprised if there were any changes ahead of the Second Test in Mohali. Although the manner of their defeat in Chennai was disappointing, England can take heart from the way they worked themselves into a strong position. If you still believe in KP's team, you can back them at the surprisingly high price of [8.6] with the hosts strong favourites at [2.12].